Dano,
Congrats on surviving the military! AND the post military contracting. Me, I looked around and found one of the military branches that spends the least amount of time making me walk :)
I recommend Sage Technologies for the school. It's third party, and should cost around $4500 or so. If that's more than your pocketbook can handle, check out a Workforce Investment Act grant - should be through your local unemployment office. If you qualify, they'll cover about $4000 of the tuition. I like Sage because - primarily - when you are in the cab, you are the ONLY student in the cab. Had no problems passing my CDL tests either )air brakes, double/tripple, tank, hazmat, general ( and the practical was .. well, not a breeze, but that wasn't their fault. I just can't seem to wrap my head around parallel parking a rig. >>sigh<<
I can't recommend or even really suggest a particular company. I will say: stay away from Swift/Werner/CR ENgland/JB Hunt/ and the other big big companies unless you have no choice. Odds are good that, for at least the first year, no matter what national company you hire on to, you'll do OTR.
However, take a look around, locally - see if there are any smaller companies in the area that do regional or even local. Regional should get you home pretty much weekly, local.. well... pretty much every night. Construction companies, for instance, always need cement truck drivers or belly dumpers. Furniture stores frequently have their own fleet - see if they need drivers.
Failing that, there's almost always the local .. um... waste management company. Here in denver, they want CDL-A drivers to haul 40ft high-sides from their sorting plant out to Mt Trashmore. Pay is good - and I'm told it's all drop/hook.. Not glamorous, but hay, being hungry sucks worse.
After a year to three years, with a clean MVR and DAC, you'll be in a much better position to get a more ideal job. Heck,you might like OTR - take a kid with you on a run or two.
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